By the time dessert was served - honey-dipped nuts and fruits - her heart was pounding with anxiety. There was simply no telling where he'd slipped that night's stimulant, and her insane behavior last night– pressing against him, begging for him? It could never happen again. Clearing her throat, Maura asked, "Would you please excuse me?" James nodded, rising and taking her hand to help her up. Smiling awkwardly, she turned in the direction of the bathroom, praying he didn't insist on accompanying her.
Once inside, she shut the door and rapidly turned on the water in the sink to drown out the sound of losing her dinner as Maura shoved two fingers down her throat.I'm going to miss that naan,she thought sadly as she flushed the toilet. Wiping her mouth after quickly brushing her teeth, Maura opened the bathroom door to find James standing just outside. His eyes were a frigid blue, and her heart sank.
"Was dinner not to your liking, Pet?" His voice had dropped two registers, but still with that silky cadence that could be terrifying. His hands shot out and lifted Maura by her hips, throwing her into the bed and caging her in with his long arms and legs. "Now why would you choose to disrespect my hospitality?" James pressed into her harder, keeping her from drawing a full breath. "Hmmm?" he prompted when she didn't reply.
Staring up at his cold blue gaze, Maura steeled herself. "I didn't know what you'd drugged. If you keep injecting me with downers and then pulling me back with stimulants, you're going to kill me," she sighed, suddenly exhausted again. "Or is that the plan, Mr. Pine?"
He didn't answer her for the longest time, his polar eyes blazing down at her with his mouth in a furious, tight line. Suddenly, his weight was off her chest and Maura took a deep, grateful breath. "If you choose to go hungry tonight, I will allow it," James answered coldly. "Get dressed, you have-"
"Thirty minutes, I know," Maura answered before she could stop herself. Putting a hand up to her mouth, she was ready to blurt an apology when James threw his phone on the bed next to her. Today's pictures were at the twin's birthday party, Abigail and Carin laughing as they opened presents, surrounded by their friends. The breath caught in Maura's throat and she felt sick again. How could she have forgotten their birthday? For ten years, she'd lit a candle on a cupcake on this day and blew it out, wishing for their happiness and safety for another year. James roughly pulled her chin back to look at the phone, the next photos of Meghan in her wheelchair, being pushed through the garden at the care center.
"Have you forgotten your responsibilities, Pet?"
"No, Sir," she whispered.
His hand pushed her chin higher. "I didn't hear that."
"No. Sir," Maura said clearly, clenching her hands to keep from crying. She wasn't wasting tears on this man either.
"Then get dressed," he answered sharply, leaving the room.
In the Mercedes James laid a hand on her thigh, his long fingers draped close to her red silk panties. "We had dinner - well, the one you vomited - in the suite this evening because we're entertaining a large number of guests at a nightclub tonight." His calloused fingertips idly traced her leg. "This club is... much rougher than what we've been used to here in Algiers. It is imperative that you stay next to me at all times. Do not eat or drink anything I haven't given you."
The irony that he could have the gall to worry about someone else drugging her nearly made Maura laugh, but she managed to change it into a cough as it came out. "...Do you understand, Pet?"
"Yes, of course, Sir." Looking out the window, she wondered when she'd last heard someone speak her name. It was a psychological weapon to take away someone's name- depriving them of their identity and eventually their humanity. It was a common tactic in intelligence work. Her new husband used the cruel game very well.
The description of "rough" was an overly generous one. The stink of cheap perfume, hashish, and copious bodily fluids nearly made Maura choke, but she held tightly to his hand as he led her to an elevated lounge with several private tables, with naked women dancing on two of them. Sitting with James's long arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders, she watched the men carefully. They were mercenaries, her experienced eye knew the look of men who created war for profit.
"To victory!" shouted General Nezzar, the drunken toast starting a stopwatch in Maura's head. The overthrow of the government must be ready to begin.
Kingston came to their table, placing a fond hand on the shoulder on James’s shoulder. "Would you come for a moment and meet the Rashid brothers? I hired them for that event in Nicaragua last year." Maura stared at her glittering black eyes, alive with malice and an emotion she couldn't decipher.
"Of course, Morgan," James agreed smoothly. Leaning in to kiss Maura's cheek, he reminded her, "stay with Jones and Martinez, they are instructed to not leave your side."
"Mrs. Pine, what a pleasure to see you this evening." Looking up, she smiled to see Mr. Maaziz in front of her. Turning to James, he gave a courtly inclination of his head. "I will also be happy to act in your bride’s security unit."
James nodded graciously in return. "My appreciation, sir."
As he left, the security men he'd assigned her both crowded in, looming over Maura and Maaziz. "Gentlemen, please!" he urged, "I feel as if I'm at the bottom of a well with you hovering so." Martinez and Jones looked at each other and moved back exactly one step. Maaziz's eyes twinkled behind his spectacles. "Mr. Pine must care deeply for you, to look at after you so... attentively."
Shaking her head with a smile, Maura demurred. "I believe it falls more under the category of preserving company assets." A crash at the next table made them both turn to see one of the men hop onto the table, stomping glassware as he tried to dance with the naked and giggling woman. Maaziz looked on with a frown as General Nezzar threw his drink on both of them, laughing uproariously.
Maura watched his expression darken. "Forgive my ignorance. Mr. Maaziz, but what will the General's role be in the new government?" He turned to look at her, eyes shrewdly examining her.
"And what would you say, If I tell you the General becomes the President?"
Still watching his expression, Maura asked, "And yours?"
He tiredly removed his glasses, cleaning the lenses. "An advisory position."
"I see," Maura paused, trying to navigate this minefield. "Do you feel..." she leaned closer, the music drowning out their conversation. "...what do you see as the future of your country under his rule?"
Maaziz looked at her sharply, putting his glasses back on. "This conversation is not a productive one, Mrs. Pine."
Maura smiled and nodded. "I understand." After another thirty minutes of conversation, she excused herself, looking for James. Finding him deep in discussion with Kingston and another man, she asked her two burly babysitters to take her to the bathroom. She felt the stares of the other women as she walked in the door with the two men who refused to stay outside. Washing her hands, Maura smiled at the blonde next to her.
“You’re so pretty,” the young woman said, “how did you land the hot one?”
